Pope to young people of Taizé: “be oases of mercy”
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a message of encouragement to some 30,000 young people gathered in the Spanish city of Valencia for the 38th European Meeting of Young Adults organized by the Taizé Community.
Please find below the full text of the message sent by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, on behalf of the Holy Father:
Dear young people,
Thousands of you have come together in Valencia, Spain, for the 38th European Meeting animated by the Taizé Community. The theme of mercy that brings you together and that you will deepen throughout 2016 makes Pope Francis particularly close to you, since the Jubilee of Mercy that he proposed began on December 8. And it is his wish that “the Christian people may reflect during the Jubilee on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy” (Bull of Indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy). The Holy Father thanks you from all his heart for committing to this the creative forces and imagination of your youth.
You also want mercy to be manifested in all its dimensions, including the social ones. The Pope encourages you to continue on this path, to have the courage of mercy which will lead you not only to receive it for yourself, in your personal lives, but to come close to people who are in distress. You know that the Church is there for all humanity and “where there are Christians, anyone should be able to find an oasis of mercy.” This is what your communities can become.
This applies particularly to the many migrants who need your welcome so much. The Pope recently wrote to Brother Alois for the hundredth birthday of the founder of the Taizé community, “Brother Roger loved the poor, the disadvantaged, those who apparently do not matter. He showed by his life and that of his brothers that prayer goes together with human solidarity.” By your practice of solidarity and mercy, may you live that demanding happiness, rich in meaning, to which the Gospel calls you.
The Holy Father wishes that during these beautiful days that you gather in Valencia, praying and sharing among yourselves, you may better discover Christ, “the face of the Father’s mercy.” He already spoke through the prophet Hosea when he transmitted to his people the message “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.”
From his heart, Pope Francis gives his blessing to you, the young participants in the meeting, to the brothers of Taizé, and to all those who are welcoming you in Valencia and the surrounding region.